CARBS: WHY WE NEED THEM
Because we all love bakeries, right? I know I do! So let’s talk about carbs — one of the three macros. If you haven’t read my overview of macros yet, start there. I wanted to talk about carbs first because it is obviously the group that is most misunderstood. I want to use this time to clear up this information, and stop the fear and carb-hatred once and for all. Because it is such a vastly misunderstood topic, I’m going to take a couple of posts to teach you the different facets of carbohydrates — why we need them, the different types, how they affect our health, and why there is a fear around them.
Let’s start with a review of macros:
“Macro” stands for the word M A C R O N U T R I E N T . Macronutrients are essential nutrients, like micronutrients, that our bodies cannot make in essential amounts. These nutrients must provide a specific function in the body where without them, there is a decline in function, but once replaced, normal function is restored. Therefore, these MUST be obtained from your diet:
c a r b o h y d r a t e s | f a t | p r o t e i n
Now let’s talk about why we need carbs.
Carbohydrates are essential for your brain and red blood cells to function properly, two pretty important bodily processes if you ask me. Carbohydrates are the preferred source of fuel for the brain, and red blood cells are only able to produce energy by using glucose (a carbohydrate). Technically, one could argue carbohydrates are not essential for a couple of reasons. One, the liver can make glucose IF you have glucose stores (also known as glycogen). Unless you are consuming 0 carbohydrates (which is virtually impossible) or undergoing starvation, you should have glucose stored as glycogen in the liver. This is a safety mechanism, so that if you muss a meal, or are in a stressful situation, your body can work to help keep your blood sugar stable at all times, or spike it for emergencies, as this is important for “running” the body. You will see blood sugar as a reoccurring theme in all of my classes and blog posts, because blood sugar is what determines much of your health, regardless of goal. The kidneys are also technically able to produce glucose. So why, you ask, are carbs essential if we have accessible stores at all times?
During starvation, or a time of intentionally restricting carbohydrates, the brain goes through a process called ketosis, where the body starts to break down fats in order to feed the brain. Remember, carbohydrates are the preferred source of fuel for the brain. That part may sound good to you, but it’s important to know that your body is in a state of STARVATION. This is an EMERGENCY response. So, yes, you may start to lose weight, in fact you probably will, but
the rest of your body is in a state of stress.
So you’ll be confident in how you look, and for a while, in how you feel, but long-term, the keto diet (very high fat, high protein) can be VERY DANGEROUS. While the brain is using ketone bodies for energy, it spares the red blood cells the little bit of glucose that remains so that they can function. This process is critical in order to try and prevent your muscle from being broken down to use as energy. So even if you do decide to try the keto diet, it is very important that you have the numbers clinically managed, or else you could also be breaking down muscle, not just fat.
Now, there are certain situations where keto can be very beneficial. The diet was discovered in the first place because of it’s ability to reduce seizures significantly in epileptics, and short-term, we can also see benefit with diabetes and insulin resistance (it can help teach your insulin to be “smart” again, and recognize sugars to take into the cell). But all that jazz for another day.
All of this meaning, our bodies are constantly trying to maintain homeostasis, or the happy medium where everything is running smoothly. Dieting, limiting your carbohydrates (which is typically the definition of dieting these days), etc. can help to reach your goals and lose weight, YES, but if it is too extreme and not in moderation, it can put your body into a state of stress, of which most of us already have some sort of stressful/inflammatory process going on, and adding another stressor is NOT the path to reaching your goals. Once you work to eliminate stressors and allow your body to breathe, then and only then, will you see long-lasting sustainable results and not have to re-do this process again. It’s all about a lifestyle change that YOU love and find works best for you, because you are not your best friend, your mom, your neighbor, or that girl on Facebook; you are YOU. Now that being said, I am not telling you to go run to your local bakery and load up on all the breads and all the sweets, but more on that in the next post!
Hopefully you understand by now WHY we need carbohydrates in our diet, and why they are essential. Next up — the types of carbohydrates, how to pick the right kinds, how they affect our health, and why they are not the enemy.
In wellness,
Allie, RD, LDN, CPT